1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system and a method for controlling image forming operations, and specifically relates to a technology that makes it possible to conduct control operations for efficiently calling a display screen, which is to be controlled under firmware installed in an apparatus side, and a customizable display screen, which is to be customized by process controlling operations, in an appropriate and efficient manner.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally speaking, various kinds of operations to be conducted in an image forming apparatus are conducted by a control section including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. Further, the control section, above-mentioned, controls the various kinds of operations to be performed by each of sections constituting the image forming apparatus according to control programs based on an OS (Operating System) and/or firmware currently installed in the image forming apparatus concerned. Still further, the control section executes various kinds of arithmetic calculations based on the OS (Operating System) and/or the firmware, currently installed in the image forming apparatus concerned, in order to conducts overall controlling operations of the image forming apparatus.
In this connection, various kinds of display screens to be displayed on an operating display section of the image forming apparatus, such as an operating panel, etc., are managed by an apparatus controlling firmware. On the other hand, it is possible to make a Web-browser operate on the OS (Operating System) as another process being different from a process of the apparatus controlling firmware, so as to depict and display contents described in a markup language, such as an HTML, etc. Accordingly, since it is possible for the user or the like to arbitrarily customize such the display screen to be displayed under the Web-browser at his discretion, such the display screen as above-mentioned can be called a “customizable display screen”.
In this connection, hereinafter, the display screen to be managed and provided by the apparatus controlling firmware is called a “default display screen”, in order to discriminate the “default display screen” and the “customizable display screen” from each other. In other words, in the image forming apparatus concerned, it is possible to make the display section thereof display not only the existing “default display screen” created in advance under the apparatus controlling firmware, but also the “customizable display screen” above-mentioned.
The “customizable display screen” as above-mentioned may include: a display screen, main object of which is to display characters and images thereon, such as a help screen; another display screen that issues a predetermined command signal in conjunction with an operation for depressing a button or icon residing within the operating section; still another display screen that displays the status information acquired from the apparatus concerned; etc.
In this connection, with respect to a simple operation for issuing a command signal, for displaying a detected status information, etc., it may be easy to create a customizable display screen. However, it may be hardly possible to create such a display screen that is virtually same as a copied screen created under the apparatus controlling firmware, as the customizable display screen.
For instance, it is hardly possible to create a consecutive overall processing as the customizable display screen, wherein the consecutive overall processing may include steps of: under the apparatus controlling firmware, acquiring information in regard to a number of paper sheet feeding trays provided in the apparatus concerned, a paper sheet size, a residual amount of paper sheets, etc.; instructing the apparatus controlling firmware to establish print settings (such as one side or duplex printing, a designated paper sheet, a processing of designated paper sheet, etc.) corresponding to the designations inputted by the user; coping with an abnormality at the time when an abnormality, such as a jam, etc., occurs in midcourse of the printing operation; so on.
Further, the default display screen is managed under the apparatus controlling firmware. Whereas, the customizable display screen is managed under Web-browser, etc., the process of which is separate from that of the apparatus controlling firmware. Accordingly, the managing method of the default display screen is completely different from that of the customizable display screen.
In this connection, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2012-168819 sets forth such the challenge that try to make it possible to display the customizable display screen, other than a normal screen to be managed under the apparatus controlling firmware.
As well as the above, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-123009 also sets forth the other challenge that try to make it possible to display the customizable display screen, other than a normal screen to be managed under the apparatus controlling firmware.
According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2012-168819, above-cited, it is possible to establish a my panel screen serving as an operating screen, a layout of which is inherent to every user. In addition, in the image processing apparatus in which a Web service application program is registered, when the user intend to use the Web service application program, the screen structure inherent to the application program is made to approximate to the layout of the my panel screen. As a result of the above, the image processing apparatus conducts controlling operations, so as to yield a sense of unification between the my panel screen at the time of using the functions of the image processing apparatus concerned and the operating screen currently displayed under the application program.
Further, according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-123009, above-cited, discloses such the system that makes it possible to create a user interface, which is the favorite of one of users, in a plurality of image forming apparatuses. For this purpose, in a case where the operation for customizing the display screen is applied to both an old-type image forming apparatus and a new-type image forming apparatus, and a certain designation, which is inapplicable for the user's own apparatus, is included in the display screen customizing information, the system is so constituted that the concerned designation is made to be deleted from the display screen customizing information. According to this feature, the custom display screen can be created by automatically extracting only a usable designation therefrom.
As described in the foregoing, each of the systems, respectively set forth in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publications No. 2012-168819 and No. 2009-123009, makes it possible to give a sense of unification between the display screens to the user. However, no proposal has been issued so far, in regard to a controlling operation for making the default display screen, which is to be managed by the apparatus controlling firmware, operate in conjunction with the customizable display screen to be managed through the separate process.
In this connection, in the customizable display screen described in the Markup language, such as an HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), etc., it is possible to make the concerned display screen jump to another image or display screen through the Hyper Link. However, arisen is a problem that the default display screen to be managed by the apparatus controlling firmware does not correspond to the address of the Hyper Link. In other words, it has been uneasy to control various kinds of functions, provided in the image forming apparatus managed under the apparatus controlling firmware, from the customizable display screen.